SAMSUNG 85-Inch QLED 4K QN85D Series TV

The picture is beautifuland sharp. I received a good deal on Prime Day

I love my new TV. It has a lot of features that I did not expect. Picture is crystal clear.

I’m not a connoisseur of TVs but this is fantastic! I feel like I’m at the theater!

I’ve had the Samsung QN85D for a few days now, and it has exceeded all my expectations. Initially, I purchased a Hisense U8N, which was impressive, but it had a problem I couldn’t live with: inconsistent black levels and distracting fluctuations in letterbox bars. My next choice was going to be the TCL QM851, but I read that it also struggles with letterbox bar consistency, though to a lesser extent. Because of this, I started exploring other options.

After checking specs, I was put off by the QN90D due to its poor native contrast ratio and lackluster color gamut coverage. However, I decided to check out the QN85D, the junior flagship model, and I’m glad I did. It offers a great native contrast ratio—something I’ve come to realize is very important—and great color gamut coverage. In many key areas, it actually outperforms the QN90D. Samsung seems to have a strange habit of making their junior flagships superior to their actual flagships. They often take a panel with average color gamut coverage and poor native contrast ratio, make it extremely bright, and label it as the top dog.

Initially, I didn’t consider the QN85D despite liking many of its specifications, mainly because it only has 160 dimming zones. However, I remembered my 2018 Q8FN, which had only 40 zones but still offered excellent black level performance and consistent letterbox bars. So, with somewhat low expectations, I decided to give the QN85D a try.

To say it surprised me is an understatement. Its black level performance is amazing—zero blooming in real content, inky blacks, and fantastic shadow detail. The letterbox bars are inky black and never visually brighten or experience blooming. I actually think having fewer zones to control has its own advantages; it seems to allow for more precise control aka a better algorithm because it is less taxing on the processor.

The new 2024 NQ4 AI Gen2 Processor on this TV is amazing. The local dimming algorithm is incredibly effective, and the HDR Remastering feature for SDR (not available on OLED), which I didn’t think I’d care about, is actually fantastic. It delivers stunning highlights in SDR without messing up the color accuracy. It hits over 1,000 nits in Filmmaker mode and 1,500 nits in standard mode, with nearly 700 nits in a full window. I’m really impressed with how well it performs.

The native contrast ratio on this panel is very good, and with local dimming engaged, it exceeds 160,000:1 which is insane, so the color production / baseline black level is top quality. Motion handling is also excellent, reminding me a lot of plasma TVs (Samsung seems to handle motion possessing differently from most other brands). Another highlight is brightness stability—there’s almost no ABL on this set, it’s the best I’ve ever seen in this regard. While its peak brightness isn’t on par with the U8N or QM851, it’s still brighter than most people would ever need, and the HDR impact is fantastic.

The build quality is solid, featuring a thick, high-quality plastic back and a nice metal screen border. I’d put this TV up against any of the big players in the LED category. It delivers impressive performance across the board, offering exceptionally refined picture quality in both bright and dark rooms.

This TV deserves the 2024 sleeper award, its so good.